Hi folks, I am thinking of replacing my $200 Craftsman saw with a better more accurate saw. I am looking at the Ridgid R4510 & Ridgid R4512. Both are the same price at my local HD. They are pretty close in specs. The 4510 has a higher amp rating & also a higher blade speed, so I assume more power? Overall dimensions of the saws are pretty close by only an inch or so. My question is should I go with the lighter more powerful portable saw or the maybe sturdier, heavier saw? Is there really any reason to go with the 4512? I should mention I have a small shop. It’s an 8’X10’ storage shed that I share with the lawn equipment which I remove each time I want to use the “shop”. Any thoughts are appreciated. Thanks Dean

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14 replies so far

the 2 saws a significantly different. the 4510 is a portable saw while the 4512 is a stationary hybrid.

the 4510 uses a universal motor while the 4512 uses an induction motor which is actually more powerful than the universal motor. Also less noisy and will last far longer than any universal motor.

Sizewise both saws will take about the same floor space unless you store the portable saw on it’s side on a top shelf somewhere. if you plan on storing it horizontally then it’ll take just about the same floor space as the hybrid though.

Generally speaking, if you are a contractor and need to take the saw with you on jobsites – get the portable one, otherwise I would go with the heavier with more mass, more accomodating tablet top surface, more powerful, less noisy saw being the 4512.

mind you – this is merely based on the 2 options you presented assuming those are the only ones you can go with.

I’ll advocate for a heavier saw for better accuracy. (Assuming you don’t need it to be portable – if you do, keep some sandbags around to add weight/stability to the lighter saw.) If you don’t need it to be portable but can’t leave it in the middle of your shed, buy or make a mobile base for it.

In that price range, you may want to consider looking for a used cabinet saw. If you need/want to stick with 110VAC, look for a hybrid saw from Steel City, Grizzly or Jet. Any of those should offer a better table, trunions, fence and probably even motor than the Ridgid.

I have the Sears Craftsman version of the R 4512. I got it for father’s day last year, so I have about a year of use on it. It’s a nice saw. Cast iron top, good fence, riving knife, decent blade guard, plenty of power and runs very quietly (compared to any portable)

I put a good blade on mine and replaced the miter guage with an Incra V27. There were some minor issues with assembly and in particular setup, due to real crappy manual that Sears provided. Being an engineer I just put the manual away and figured it out myself. If you get one, the Ridgid manual may be better, if not, pm me and I’ll be glad to offer any guidance I can.

Over all, I think these saws are about the most saw you can get for the money; unless you can catch a deal on a used saw. For a small shop it has a very good set of retractable casters, but if your shed is not on a concrete slab that won’t help you much. These saws weigh close to 180 lbs.

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Your assumption that the R4510 has more power is incorrect. It uses a universal motor that has less torque than the belt drive induction motor of the R4512….the universal motor is much louder. From a perspective of function, other than portability, the full size stationary saw has every advantage you might name….mass, stability, accuracy, power, reliability, upgradeability, repair feasibility, resale, user friendliness, noise, etc. From a practical standpoint, I can see why a portable might be attractive for your small shop…within it’s classification, the R4510 is a capable jobsite saw.

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Look into a Shopsmith depending on your budget a used one can be found cheap (on Craig’s List or eBay) and upgraded over time or a new PowerPro which would give you a 2 HP highly accurate tool. You would also get a drill press, shaper, tabletop router, disk sander and several other professional tools in less space than a bicycle.

My personal recommendation is to see if you can find a used Ridgid TS3650. I have one. I see them popping up a lot on Craiglist lately because some people are going with the newer just becasue they think the newer has to be better. I got my 3650 used. It took me some time to get everything adjusted becasue the previous owner had no idea what she (yes, a woman owned it) didn’t know what she was doing. After getting everything right on it though, I couldn’t be happier.I have looked at the two saws you’re interested in and if someone tried to trade me my 3650 for either of those, they’d have a fight on their hands.

He has 80 square ft, I think the tables on some of these saws are almost that big. Plus rotating them 90 degrees in that space is a bear. Then where does he put the rest of his power tools.

If I had a 1,000 square ft shop I would have made very different decisions, my current shop is 220 square ft and can’t dream of fitting a usable dedicated saw, plus lathe, jointer, bandsaw… and still fitting in the shop.

Rich,Everything has shortcomings in an 8×10 space, what shortcomings are you talking about that still apply to a Shopsmith Mark 7 or 520?

A lot of opinions of a Shopsmith were formed when it has tiny tables, a crappy fence and 3/4 HP motor. With 2 HP variable speed DVR 110/220 motor (found on no other saw today), very large removable tables (so it still fits and works in an 8×10 space), a great fence and Riving knife those don’t apply.

Plus it can do things none of the saws talked about here could dream of, like cut metal or plastic due to it high torque and/or low speed, drill horizontally and vertically removing the need to try and fit a drill press into the space.

My local Craiglist is pretty lean on quality tools. Most of what is for sale is by home owners who are selling the lower end table saws used for home improvement projects. I am going to weigh the options a little longer then pull the trigger on one. Dean

-- You have not really lived until you do something for someone who can never repay you.